Balthazar's Dream

About

Balthazar's Dream is a single player arcade platformer game. It was developed by Psilocybe Games and was released on May 30, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Visit a wonderfully peculiar dog's dream in a heroic attempt to save your owner in this beautiful pixel art puzzle platformer.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+15

Skip User Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

story20 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a touching story about the bond between a dog and his owner, which resonates emotionally with players.
The pixel art and music are well-crafted, contributing to a charming and engaging atmosphere.
Despite its short length, the game offers a variety of gameplay mechanics and challenges that keep it interesting.

The platforming mechanics are often criticized for being clunky and imprecise, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
There are reports of input delays and bugs that can hinder progress, particularly in the early levels.
The game is relatively short, which may leave players wanting more content and replayability.

story
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The game's story, centered around a dog's quest to save his owner, is often described as touching and emotionally engaging, despite its simplicity and brevity. While some players appreciate the heartfelt themes and charming visuals, others criticize the storytelling as ham-fisted or underdeveloped, with gameplay mechanics that can detract from the narrative experience. Overall, the story is a significant draw for many, offering a mix of quirky moments and emotional depth, though opinions on its execution vary.
- “This game has got a lot of soul, a really satisfying amount of story, and a very good variety of play content.”
- “Balthazar's story is a puzzle platformer story of a dog embarking on a journey to save his boy.”
- “By the end, I found myself genuinely emotionally invested in these two characters, and despite its short length, Balthazar's Dream delivers on what it sets out to do while telling a story that evokes a wide array of emotions out of the player.”
- “The plot kicks off as these games usually do, but you soon come to realize that, even if the story itself tries to be moving, it's just a tool to justify some pretty weird imagery you find in the game.”
- “None of this adds *anything* to the story, and each sentence is somehow more insane and poorly written than the last.”
- “I think the story was the biggest letdown.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
59%
12%
The gameplay of "Balthazar's Dream" is a mixed bag, with some players finding it enjoyable and challenging, while others criticize its clunky mechanics and lack of precision. The game features a variety of mechanics introduced throughout its short stages, which can lead to frustrating moments due to unintuitive controls. Despite its flaws, the game offers a charming experience with interesting level design and a touching story, appealing particularly to hardcore platformer fans.
- “The gameplay is fast and action-packed, and you'll need to react quickly and use the environment to your advantage. Thankfully, there are a lot of checkpoints to help you through your journey, but they're not mandatory and can be avoided if you're looking for a tougher challenge.”
- “Balthazar's Dream is a pretty tough and hardcore platform game composed of many rather short stages, each of which sees the introduction of a new kind of mechanic that gets usually added to the mix with those you already learned.”
- “A charming game, it has good level design and brings interesting changes to the gameplay in the levels.”
- “The game mechanics are somewhat irritating.”
- “However, gameplay is a little uninspiring at first.”
- “I tried, but I was ultimately unable to get over how poorly the game's mechanics work in tandem and as a result, this dream swiftly became a nightmare.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
30%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its impressive quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the soundtrack as a standout feature. However, some players noted that the music can become repetitive due to its short loops, and the lack of volume control options detracted from the experience for a few. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset that contributes to the game's charm and engagement.
- “It's a nice, short story with impressive music and visuals.”
- “The soundtrack is also amazing.”
- “Amazing music builds up an unforgettable atmosphere.”
- “The game is actually well-made and fun to play, but I find the music a little bit repetitive and boring.”
- “Sounds/music is very loud because of no options menu.”
- “I cannot set the music volume level in the game?”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
27%
17%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming pixel art style and impressive animations, which evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of retro games. Many players appreciate the aesthetic and emotional depth it adds to the experience, although some have noted technical issues that detract from gameplay. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “It's a nice, short story with impressive music and visuals.”
- “Art style is great, the music is great as well!”
- “Cool pixel graphics and funny details bring back the charm of retro games.”
- “The timing is bad, and while the graphics and story felt great, I couldn't get over how little feedback you are getting from this game while playing.”
- “Balthazar's Dream is a forgettable platformer with occasional charm in its art style.”
- “The music and graphics.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching narrative centered on the bond between a boy and his dog, which resonates with players despite some criticisms of gameplay mechanics. While the story is described as both heartfelt and humorous, opinions vary on its execution, with some finding it poorly written yet still capable of evoking genuine emotional investment. Overall, the combination of a charming aesthetic and a poignant storyline makes it appealing, particularly for fans of platformers.
- “It's not as serious as I imagined at first (that forest level is kind of gloomy), but it manages to be both emotional and funny.”
- “It details the touching bond between a boy and his dog after said boy gets into an accident that leaves him hospitalized.”
- “By the end, I found myself genuinely emotionally invested in these two characters, and despite its short length, Balthazar's Dream delivers on what it sets out to do while telling a story that evokes a wide array of emotions out of the player.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a blend of emotional and quirky moments that evoke smiles and laughter, particularly appealing to fans of retro aesthetics and dog-themed content. While it starts off hilariously, some players find that the humor can diminish with repeated attempts at challenging gameplay, leading to frustration. Overall, it strikes a balance between lightheartedness and charm, making it enjoyable for a wide audience.
- “It's not as serious as I imagined at first (that forest level is kind of gloomy), but it manages to be both emotional and funny.”
- “With a straightforward storyline and some quirky moments that had me smiling and laughing more than I'd like to admit.”
- “Cool pixel graphics and funny details bring back the charm of retro games.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with many players noting that it can be completed in a single playthrough and lacks significant incentives to revisit. While some mention the option to play with different breeds, this does not substantially enhance the experience. At a price point of €5, some feel it offers decent value for a one-time playthrough.
- “The game's a bit short and there's not much replayability; however, for 5€, I feel it was well worth my time.”
- “No replay value; play through once and you're done.”
- “Low replay value; you can play through with other breeds, but not much more than that.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with users reporting minimal glitches, bugs, or crashes. However, some players have noted minor collision issues that allow unintended movement, which are considered easily fixable in future updates.
- “This game is quite a fun platformer. I just started playing it and so far I am loving it. The only minor problem I found are some collision glitches (I passed to two places I should not be able to), but these are minor bugs and can easily be solved since this is the first game from Psilocybe.”
- “They are buggy.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding elements in the game to be tedious and frustrating, as certain mechanics rely heavily on luck rather than skill, detracting from the overall enjoyment. While some platforming aspects are praised, the need to navigate cumbersome obstacles often leads to unnecessary frustration.
- “These obstacles do nothing for the game except make things unnecessarily tedious.”
- “Bouncing off of mushrooms and beds makes for great platforming, but trying to make a floating table fall on top of your dog for cover, or throw a stick at just the right spot on a wall to provide a platform almost comes down to random luck, making for tedious segments in an otherwise enjoyable game.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its phenomenal quality, enhanced by an amazing soundtrack that creates an unforgettable experience for players.
- “I can't stress enough that the atmosphere of this game is phenomenal.”
- “Amazing music builds up an unforgettable atmosphere.”

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73%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Balthazar's Dream Review - KeenGamer
Keengamer.com
73%

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4h Median play time

4h Average play time

3-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Balthazar's Dream is a arcade platformer game.

Balthazar's Dream is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, Mac OS and others.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Balthazar's Dream.

Balthazar's Dream was released on May 30, 2017.

Balthazar's Dream was developed by Psilocybe Games.

Balthazar's Dream has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Balthazar's Dream is a single player game.

Similar games include Horace, The Purring Quest, Typoman, Toby: The Secret Mine, Airscape: The Fall of Gravity and others.

Balthazar's Dream

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